Some Consequences of Cramped Housing and Crowding on Children

Abstract

The United States is experiencing a shortage of housing, which, coupled with urbanization and dwindling open spaces, crowds people closer together. Unlike older parts of the world, where burgeoning populations regularly dwelt within fortresses, walled cities, and compact medieval hamlets, most people in the United States find themselves ill prepared to accept the fetters of such constraints. In this paper I shall describe symptoms and behavior disorders observed in my pediatric practice that I believe result from such episodes of crowding, and correlate my observations with those cited in the literature.